The present invention relates to electrical power generation and storage devices for portable or emergency use. While portable electrical generators are quite useful for emergency situations or austere environments, such generators tend to be inconvenient with regard to maintenance, transport, duration, and reliability. Consequently, a significant need exists for a more convenient and cheaper method of providing back-up electrical power.
Various kinds of portable generators exist in the current market. The uses for these generators range from home use to industrial use. Conventional portable generators comprise an engine and an alternator driven by the engine to produce electricity. Specifically, the spark-ignited combustion engine produces mechanical drive to rotate a crankshaft. The crankshaft, connected with a revolving shaft of the generator, will produce electrical current by converting the mechanical power produced by the engine into electrical energy. The mechanical energy drives the crankshaft to rotate electrically conductive elements within a magnetic field. The rotation of the electrically conductive elements around the field produces electric energy capable of being used or stored.
A more desirable form of energy storage is extremely valuable as a result of the continual rise of fuel prices, the concern for the environment, and the decline of the amount of fossil fuels. A portable power source that can produce electrical energy by converting mechanical energy would help reduce the cost of energy, protect the environment, and provide a reliable, convenient source of energy. The traditional portable electric generators consume gasoline to produce the mechanical drive necessary to rotate the electrically conductive elements. By contrast, using a rotating axle coupled with a gear system or other means would provide the necessary mechanical drive to produce electrical energy as opposed to wasting other energy sources and utilizing a portion of the power of a vehicle that would otherwise be unused.
A more efficient approach as stated earlier would be to use a mechanical drive system already being used, such as the wheel axle of a towed vehicle or a drive system of a car, to effectuate the rotation of the shaft of an alternator. This rotation of the shaft by means including but not limited to gears, pulleys, and transmissions will produce electric power capable of being stored within a single battery or a series of batteries. The power may then be converted by an inverter from direct current to alternating current as desired by the user.